Field-mount for automatic machine-guns.



No. 718,900. P'ATBNTED JAN. zo, 1993..

L. V. BNNT. FIELD MOUNT POR AUTOMATIGMAGHINE GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

6 SHEETS-HEET l.

r2/@Human W @I TATNNTUU JAN. zo, 1903.

' I L. V. BENET.

`TIELT) MOUNT TON AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.4

N0 MODEL.

No. 713,900. Y l PATENTBD JAN. 2o, 190s.

L. V. BTNNT. TIEL-D MOUNT TOR AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUNS.

- lAPPLICATION FLED SEPT. 18, 1902. V

N0 MODEL.V 6 SHEETS-.SHEET 3.

m Il M l .H l". I' m l H I 'Il Il PATENTBD JAN. 2o, 1903 L. V. BENT.

FIELD MOUNT FOR AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUNS. APPMUATION FILED SEPT. 1a, 1902. No MODEL.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

3 n 1mi/1 to?.

wits/leona @Ome P m... ,E N E B. V. L

' FIELD MOUNT PON. AUTUMATIG MACHINE GUNS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1902. I

. z, /3 .T. .m/ E m n E w Ho We A w W Q N0 MODEL witnesses PATBNTBD JAN. zo, 1003.

GUNS.

, .l L V. BBNT. FIELD MOUNT TOR AUTOMATIC MACHINE APPLIOATION ILED SEPT. 18, 1902.

akbovznup s am new:n.111: irsrfdl'v Automat Machine-Guns or Light n se " SZEQIFaTQN forming part ,qf` tiers 718,906, dated January 2o. 190e. A

Y fljcitizen oftheUnitedS 's;'residingatParis, in theRepnhlic of France', -haveinvented cer- Inipro'veients in 4Fielde by declare ,the ,follr,and exact descripefnc'h as will enable 0th- V.eitherartilleryor'iiifantry'and inwhich the piece maylbe either I mounted on wheels and fdraggedl'abont by horses or hymen or which maybe removed from the lWheels and transported from placeto place', stretcher fashion. '.Ihns''theVpiece'inay belused with cavalryin v'al ll'nlace's accessible torfcavalry and may be transportedv -overgobstrnctions by hand in spotsfina'ccess'ible to nion'nted troops and may b'eiflredfrom afgninuntf independent of the I I` hein perpartis'inthe form ofa com- 1 -plet ipod carryingthepiece, fand the lower 35"::p'artfserves Yasa lsupport-a'nd normally as a the-trip`od lJAfSi'mple and rapid f, vehicle for V.the `sam@ yDarts-.are ,indicated-,by 12h19 53.91910?- .ters throughout thelhseyeral, views.

. Fi gur-fli'epresentsa side elevation,

:rt to whichit appertainjs need fora mounftgwhich fmayhe usedwith omplish'thisnheguni ed-.jnto two distinctparationpr the rasp-1 .QmpOSilg the in the ground, when .the tripod is removed from 'theupfpcr carriage, as indicated in' Fig. '4. This tripod is'provided'with mechanism ,for elevating and training the piece Within lcertain limits, which will be hereinafter def Vscribed with 'special reference to Figs. 6, 7, f Y ill beynderstoodloy.frefery @Quaero thienceempanyine drawings, in which "cr'seisuiberia19o2.' sria1No. 123,936. ma model.)

is a rear Viewj ofthe mount, the gun' being omitted.A Fig. 4 is ay sidel elevation showing the piece mounted on a tripod and detached from the lower carriage. Figi.l 4 represents a section along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4 and lookingdown. Fig. is a plan viewofthe tripod shown in Fig. 4 with the gun removed,l and Figs. 6, 7, andv 8 show details of the'apparatus for elevatingand training the piece irrespective of the movement of themont. 'L

The lower carriage is 'constructed in such a manner as to readily receive the tripod or upper carriage, .and comprises the'wheels a, mounted on'the axle a', and the tubular trail a2, terminated by'asshoe having the spadeai` and the eye for the drag-ropey a4. The trail az'is secured tothe axlea by means of a.v T- shaped connectiomwhich is provided with a socket of for the trail and with an eye a6 for the axle and also a socket a7 to receive the pivot-pin of the tripod. The axle and the trail are preferably riveted to the connectionpiece, and to secure greater rigidity braces a8 connect the axle and the trail a2.

The upper carriage is composed, essentially, of a tripod the three legs of which are hinged together in anysuitable or convenient manner. This maybe done in a variety of ways, one of -which is shown in Ithe accompanying drawings. f

A socket-piece 'b has connected thereto by Universal joints thetwo short tripod-legs b b' and has rigidiyjsecn'redv thereto the longer ltripod leg or trail b2, which is preferably pro- -Vided with a seat b? for the person ring the l piece and withavshoe b4.' The forward trilpojdlegs also have sheesh", and these shoes are preferably providedwith prongs to engage and 8.

v VW'hen the tripod is mounted on the 'lowerthe lower carriage may be adopted, 'if desired. When thus mounted on the lower carriage, the two forward legs b' b of the tripod are bent backward and rest on a V-shaped support b, fast to the trail b2 of the tripod. This trail rests on its shoe b4, which is supported by the shoe of the trail, and is held in place by a stud a", projecting into an eye in the said shoe b4. The resiliency of the tripodtrail b2 enables its shoe to be lifted up slightly and to be sprung over this stud a9, and thus the two trails of the upper and lower carriage are securelyconnectedtogether. Thusitwill be seen that the bayonetjoint prevents the tripod from being lifted from the lower carriage, and the stud a prevents any lateral disarrangement of thetrail b2.

As a further protection against any disarrangement while iringor while in transport straps bs and aw are provided. The strap bs holds the two tripod-legs b secured in the elevated position, as shown in Fig. l, while the strap a10 prevents the shoe b4 from being accidentally thrown out of engagement with the stud ai. l

To raise the tripod from the lower carriage,

loose the straps au and 58, turn the two tri-4 pod-legs b' b' from the rear to the forward lposition to the position indicated iu full lines in Figs. 4 and 5, then disengage the shoe b from the stud a, and turn the trail l)2 about sixty degrees to the left, thus disengaging the bayonet-joint b5. The-tripod may now be lifted bodily from the lower carriage and set up, as'shown in Fig. 4. When thus set up, the upper ends of the tripod-legs b engage the studs b9.' lf itisdesir'ed to carry the piece with its tripod any distance, it will be more convenient to carry the same litter fashion or like a hand-barrow, and this may be done hy swinging the tripod-legs b' slightly in toward each other, enabling their upper ends to clear the studs b9, and then swinging these tripod-legs forward to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Their short arms will then engage the stops Z210. (See Fig. 4.)

Should it be desired to secure the gunl to the trail of the tripod when in transit, the elevating-gear may be thrown out of engagement, as will be hereinafter described, and the gun may be lowered into the holder b land then secured in place by means of the straps bs, or a separate strap may be used, if desired.

In order to put the tripod back on the lower carriage, the hereinbefore-described operation is performed inthe reverse order.

Referring now, to the mechanism for elevatng the gun and for training the same through a small angle while mounted either on the tripod or on the carriage, Fig. 6 is a side elevation. Fig. 7 is view of the device shown in Fig. 6 as seen from the left of said figure, and Fig. 8 shows a section along the line 8.8of Fig. 6 and looking in the direction of thearrows, the parts being shown in eleshank passes through the bracket c2, fast to the tripod-trail b2. It will be seen that bv turning this arm c8 in one direction or the otherY the stem c may be clamped against the face of said bracket or released therefrom, and thus the stem may be readily moved up or down to adjust for elevation and clamped in the desired position. The travel of this stem c in the sleeve o0 is limited by the stops c4 and c5, the lower one of which is preferably integral with va spring c, fast to the stem c, which spring may be bent into a recess cOs (shown in dotted lines in Figs. 7 and 8) when it is desired to slip the said stem entirely through the said sleeve. This may be desirable either in transporting the piece or when one wishes to fire from the'shoulder. Thus itwill be seen that a quickly-adjustable elevating apparatus is provided. With this elevat-ing apparatus I provide mechanism for training the piece through a small angle laterally without disturbing the carriage or'fcl allowing the piece a slight lateral vibration, as would V,be desirable in covering roads, bridges, or thelike, orasmall front of advancing troops, .thus providing for what is technica-ily known as fan-rf. This training mechanism comprises an arm c7 at substantially right angles to the stern c and screwthreaded near its outer end, on which screwthreaded portion the thumb-nuto8 is mounted. Between this thumb-nut and the stem o is a screw-threaded sleeve d, which lits loosely over the arm c7 and is turned by means of ay milled head d. The outer screw-threaded portion of this sleeve engages in a nut d2, integral with the plate (Z3, in which plate is mounted the pin d4, having an enlarged head d, en, gaging in the guideway (Z5 in the lug d loe` 'neath the gun.

The nut d? fits over the screwthreaded end of this pind, and thus holds the plate d3 in position. vIt will be seen that if the thumb-nut cH be turned so as to bind the sleeve d between the said nut and the shoulder co7 of the stem `c and said sleeve be turned by means of the milled head d this .right or left without using the training-gear. Thus it may be trained fromthe shoulder, or

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one of the Awell-knownattachments for fanire. may be vapplied to the gun without takingoi the training-gear.

It will be seen' that if the stern c is slipped out of the sleeve cf in the manner already described both thiselevating and training mechanism are at once thrown out of action, and the gun may be pointed from the shoulder without being impeded by said mechanism. When the stem c it thus disengaged, it is put into the eye c9 (see Fig. 3) on the yoke of the gun-mount, where it remains out of the way when the herein described elevating and training gear is not in use.

It will be obvious that various modilications might be made inthe herein-described apparatus which could be nsedwithout departing,

from the spirit ofvmy invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. In a gun-mount, the .combination of the wheels and axle, atrail connected to said axle with a lug near the rear end thereof, a tripod having two short front legs adapted to told rearward and a long rear leg provided with a shoe with an eye therein adapted to engage said lug on the trail, a bayonet-joint connect# ing said tripod and said trail, and a gun mounted on said tripod, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the lower carriage,

of a tripod mounted thereon, a bayonet-joint' connecting said tripod and said lower car- `riage, and a gun mounted on said tripod, substantially as described.

The combination with the lower carriage mounted on wheels,ofa tripod mounted thereon, a bayonet-joint connecting said tripod and said lower4 carriage, a gun mounted on said tripod, and elevating and training gear connecting said gun and said tripod, substantially as described.

t. The combination with the lower carriage mounted on wheels, of a tripod mounted on said lower carriage and provided with hinged trent legs and a rigid rear leg, of a vbayonet- ,ent connecting said tripod to said lower carriage, and a gun mounted on said tripod, substantially as desf'ibed.

5. In a gun-mount, the combination ot' the wheels and axle, a trail connected to said aXle with a lug near the rear end thereof, a tripod mounted on said trail and having two short 'front legs adapted to fold `rearward and a long tear leg provided with a shoe with an eye therein adapted to engage said lug on the trail, a quickly-detachable connection between said tripod and said traill and a gun mounted on said tripod, substantially as described.

t. in a gun mount of the character described, the combination witha lower carriage mounted on wheels, of a tripod, a bayonet connect-ing said tripod and said lower age, a gun mounted on said tripod,-and elevating and training gear connecting said gun and said tripod and removable at will, substantially as described.

'7. In a gun-mount, the combination of the wheels and axle, a trail connected to said axle with a lug near the rear end thereof, a tripod mounted on said trail and having two short front legs adapted to fold rearward and a long rear leg provided with a shoe with an eye therein adapted'to engage said lug on the trail, a strap binding said long leg and said trail together, and agun mounted on said tripod, substantially as described.

8. The combination with the lower carriage mountid on wheels, of a tripod removably connected to said lower carriage and provided with hinged front legs, a rigid rear leg, and a support bn on seid rear leg for the breech of the gun when in transit, substantially as described.

9. 'The combination with the lower carriage mounted on wheels,of a tripod removably connected tosaid lower carriage and provided with hinged front legs, a rigid rear leg, and a support b on said rear leg for the breech of the gun when in transit, with a strap securing the three and holding the gun down on said support bn, substantially as described.

10. The combination with the lower carriage mounted on wheels, of a tripod removably connected to said lower carriage and provided with hinged front legs, a rigid rear leg and a support bu on said rear leg for the breech of the gun when in transit, a gun mounted on said tripod, and elevating and training gear normally connecting said gun` and said tripod, but removable when desired, substantially as described.

11. The ,combination with the lower carriage mounted on wheels, of a tripod removably connected to said lower carriage and provided with hinged front legs, a rigid rear leg and/a support b on said rear leg for the breech of the gun when in transit, a gun lmounted on said tripod, and elevating and training gear normally connecting said gun and said tripod but removable When desired, with a strap securing the three legs of the tripod together and holding the gun down in said support, substantially as described.

l2. The combination with the lower carriage mounted on wheels, of a tripod mounted on said lower carriage and provided with 'hinged front legs 'and a rigid rear leg, with C stops on the head ot said tripod to limit the travel of said hinged legs, of a bayonet-joint connecting said tripod to said lower carriage, and a gun. mounted on said tripod, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAURENCEV. BENT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES Knnvnn, ALFRED CLERICEAU.

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